Mary-Jane Daffy

BILL GRANGER CRINGES TO think of the sandwich that was his lunchbox staple as a kid: Strasbourg, tomato sauce and butter on sliced white bread.

''Isn't that dreadful?'' the celebrated chef and restaurateur says, grinning.

He remembers his Greek friend perching alongside him in the schoolyard devouring crusty-bread sandwiches filled with fried eggplant and tzatziki. ''At the time, I found it so weird. Nowadays, I'd be desperate to swap with him.''

Earl Canteen's 'fish finger' sandwich.

Granger is not alone.

Advertisement

Sandwiches have undergone a sharp makeover in the past decade, going from dreary lunchbox staple to menu hero in Australia and abroad.

In London, acclaimed chef Mark Hix, who worked under Anton Mosimann at the Dorchester, recently launched FishDog, a vintage street van offering a gourmet take on the fish-finger sandwich.

And in Australia, Melbourne's Earl Canteen lives by the catchphrase: ''We make sandwiches. Just not as you know it.''

Since opening three years ago, Earl Canteen's pork-belly roll, made with crackling-topped pork, coleslaw and wilted silverbeet, has become a cult classic - owners Simon O'Regan and Jackie Middleton estimate they've sold about 35,000.

Be it school lunches, brown-bagged office lunches, diet-busting weekend blowouts or fancy finger food, Middleton believes there's a sandwich for every occasion.

Chicken and chives from Stuart Long at the Langham. Photo: Mark Chew

Here are 25 ideas to get you started.

1. Fish finger ''Knock together a real tartare sauce, visit the local fish-and-chip shop for battered fish and chips, and sandwich it all between some good ciabatta,'' Middleton says.

2. Roast chicken with waldorf salad As a kid, Neil Perry went off to school with brown bread sangers stuffed with sliced tongue, mustard and pickled onion. Years later, the chef-restaurateur's Guangxi pork slider (slow-cooked pork on a brioche bun) is a runaway hit at his Melbourne and Sydney Spice Temple restaurants. But for office workers, Perry suggests roast chicken with waldorf salad. ''Make sure the waldorf has plenty of great mayonnaise through it and serve it on good, thick-sliced brown bread.''

Bill Granger has moved on from the Strasbourg and sauce sandwiches of his youth.

3. Gorgonzola, pear and walnut on sourdough Another Perry favourite, it involves dressing pear and walnut with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, and spreading the bread with gorgonzola and a good cultured butter.

4. Vegetable omelet with aioli A brunch treat, Perry says it's best in a baguette with ''beautiful crunchy iceberg lettuce''.

5. Red pepper salsa, salami and cos lettuce Canberra's Silo Bakery has been serving creative sandwiches for 15 years and co-owner Graham Hudson says the quality of the bread is as important as the filling. He suggests filling a baguette with red pepper salsa (made from grilled and peeled red capsicums, capers, red onions, oil and vinegar), Veneto salami and cos lettuce.

6. Grilled asparagus, lemon mayonnaise, pecorino and pepper Melbourne's Phillippa Grogan opened a bakery in Armadale in 1994 and the business has since expanded to include a store in Brighton, Melbourne's city centre, and a wholesale bakery in Richmond. This combination is wonderful in summer when asparagus is small and sweet, Grogan says.

7. Crisp pancetta, caramelised walnuts, baby celery and mayonnaise To caramelise walnuts, Grogan says, sprinkle them with brown sugar and soy sauce and bake them for eight to 12 minutes.

9. Chopped egg, sweet corn, parmesan shavings and smoked paprika A twist on a classic, according to Grogan.

10. Sliced eye fillet, fried egg, lettuce, cheese and garlic aioli In central Sydney, Pathi Rodrigues and Maria Barona serve traditional bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches) worth every minute of a half-hour lunch break at Encasa Deli. The pepito is their biggest seller. And the secret to its success? The crunchy baguettes are pulled fresh from the oven every 10 minutes and served warm.

11. Lightly floured and fried calamari in a baguette with thick aioli This is a favourite from Rodrigues' Spanish homeland. ''Sandwich-making is about simplicity. Keep it simple and use quality ingredients and you can't go wrong.''

12. Poached chicken, strawberry, mint and lemon creme fraiche on ciabatta Kate Stewart, director of Melbourne-based catering and events company Bright Young Things, says ''champagne soakers'' are always popular at parties. The chicken-strawberry combo has been this summer's hit. ''The rise of celebrity chefs and television cooking shows means people are better educated with ingredients and more comfortable with a fancier sandwich,'' she says. ''Not only that, they now expect it.''

13. Yabby, creme fraiche and walnuts on rye This is another good pairing with bubbly, says Stewart.

14. Rosemary, fig jam and brie toastie Guaranteed to get the party started, Stewart says.

16. Pork belly, Asian slaw, pickled ginger, daikon, sweet chilli jam and mayonnaise on baguette Mal Gill, of Brisbane's Lady Marmalade cafe, competed in a national sandwich competition with a roll crammed with roast pork, five-spiced apple, brie, bacon, sage mayo, hash brown and fennel salad. You won't find it on the menu at his Stones Corner cafe but his pork belly baguette is a worthy substitute. ''We use David Chang's pork belly recipe, as we've found it is just unbeatable.''

17. Pulled pork with fennel slaw and jalapeno mayo Bill Granger's porcine offering is good for a crowd. It involves cooking pork belly with brown sugar and salt and serving it with fennel and apple slaw and mayo spiked with pickled jalapenos inside a soft bun.

18. Marinated steak rolls and barbecue sauce Granger's roll made with sirloin is steeped in Asian ingredients and served in a baguette with grated carrots, daikon, fresh herbs and a sticky sauce flavoured with five-spice. ''Nobody wants pretentious food these days and the sandwich, however 'gourmet', will never be snobbish.''

19. Tuna melt with mozzarella and artichoke, topped with parsley and olive salad Giving a simple sandwich a salad boost means Granger can serve it to his daughters for dinner without guilt.

23. Lobster fingers with vanilla bean mayonnaise, wild rocket and grilled prosciutto This is definitely at the luxury end of caterer Fergus McPeake's range. The Irish-born chef opened a cafe serving bespoke sandwiches in Melbourne's financial district 15 years ago, a stepping-stone to his corporate and commercial catering company, The Sandwich Group, which specialises in sandwiches. Lobster fingers have ''wow'' appeal at parties. Poach rock lobster (or buy it cooked) and stir vanilla seeds into good mayonnaise. Spread good wheatmeal bread with mayo, layer on rocket leaves, crisp prosciutto and lobster, and cut into ribbons.

24. Panko, thyme, chive and parmesan-crumbed schnitzel and lemony coleslaw Everybody loves a schnitzel sanger, McPeake says. ''Keeping it simple with quality produce is the key. We use chicken fillets and panko crumbs for crunch.''

25. Roasted pumpkin, goat's cheese, rocket and dukkah It's not just vegetarians who enjoy this filling, McPeake says. It's easy to make but it's packed with flavour.

Tried and tested tips

The best in Australia's sandwich business divulge their tips and tricks for making, keeping and serving a winning sandwich.

■ Make sure the butter is at room temperature before you spread it; otherwise, it will grip to the bread and make holes in your sandwich. Stuart Long

■ Make your own mayonnaise. It takes only a few minutes. Then go mad with flavour additions to enliven any sandwich. Mal Gill

■ Don't be scared to use lots of fresh herbs and great vegetables, fresh or roasted, in your sandwiches. In most cases, if it can go in a salad, it can go in a sandwich. Neil Perry

Bill Granger's sandwich recipes:

Pulled pork with fennel slaw and jalapeno mayo

1.5kg pork belly, on the bone, skin scored

75g soft dark brown sugar

25g sea salt

For the jalapeno mayo

Small jar good-quality mayonnaise

3 tbsp jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

Squeeze of lime

For the fennel and apple slaw

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

Juice 1 lemon

Olive oil, to drizzle

Soft rolls, to serve

1. Rub the sugar and salt into the skin and flesh of the pork. Sit pork in a tray, cover loosely and then allow to stand for at least two hours, up to 24 hours.

2. Heat oven to 160C. Brush off any excess rub and drain away any juice that has collected. Place the pork in a high-sided baking tray and add 200ml of water to the tray. Cover with foil and cook for 3½ hours or until a fork inserted and twisted pulls away tender meat. Throughout cooking, check level of water and top up as necessary - don't let the liquid dry out completely. Remove foil and cook for a further 30 minutes. Remove pork from oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before shredding meat with a couple of forks.

3. To make the mayo, mix the ingredients together with some seasoning and set aside.

4. For the slaw, put all the ingredients in a bowl, squeeze over the lemon juice and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

5. Serve the mayo and slaw with pulled pork and soft, floury buns for everyone to assemble their own.

Serves 4-6

Tuna melts

With the humble sandwich elevated to main-meal status, Bill Granger does not feel guilty about serving his three daughters tuna melts for dinner.

225g tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked

4 chargrilled artichoke hearts from a jar, drained and sliced

½ x 125g ball buffalo mozzarella, torn into shreds

50g grated mozzarella

Black pepper

4 chunky slices of sourdough

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

Parsley and olive salsa

Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

½ onion, very finely chopped

Handful green olives, chopped

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

1. Preheat an oven grill to medium.

2. Mix the tuna and artichokes with both mozzarellas and lots of black pepper. Toast the sourdough lightly on both sides, then pile with the tuna and mozzarella mix. Sprinkle with chilli flakes, then grill until the cheese is melted throughout and bubbling on top.

3. In a small bowl, mix the parsley, onion and olives with a glug of olive oil and lemon juice and serve spooned over the piping-hot tuna melts.

20 comments so far

Mmmm. Nothing and I mean nothing beats fresh crusty white bread, lashings of butter and vegemite. This then is gourmet dining at its finest!

Commenter

justsidthekid

Location

Date and time

February 12, 2013, 1:29PM

One melt I recently discovered is to melt aged Dorset Cheddar on toast and then place passionfruit pulp on top. You can also mix it up.

Bliss!

Doesn't work with other cheeses that I have tried. Aged Dorset is THE go, but it isn't cheap.

One variation is to pour the pulp onto the toast, cover with the aged Dorset and melt slowly.

Bliss!!

Commenter

Rob Emanuel

Location

Oz

Date and time

February 12, 2013, 1:55PM

Please, for all these people reworking the sandwiches, make sure the bread is easily eaten. I have tried to eat EARL's admittedly delicious sandwiches twice now, but resort to just eating the filing because the bread is so thick and crusty, it rips my mouth to pieces and I feel full of bread. The fillnig should be the star here, the bread is the support act - both need to be great, but not to the detriment of one of them!

Commenter

Rebecca

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

February 12, 2013, 2:01PM

But the bread is cheaper than the filling.

Commenter

James

Location

Dystopia

Date and time

February 12, 2013, 3:49PM

totally agree, I hate it when the flavour of the sandwich is completely overshadowed by the little cuts you get from over crusty bread or overly crispy schnitzel. Yeah, its great to have some crunch but it shouldn't cut my mouth!

Commenter

S

Location

Date and time

February 13, 2013, 5:10PM

Rebecca,

You said it - the bread indeed should be the support act. Those thick, crusty, arty looking things can take away all the fun of it.

Commenter

Gerry

Location

North East

Date and time

February 13, 2013, 5:34PM

I still love devon and tomato sauce on white bread with butter. Nothing like it.

Commenter

Mel

Location

Date and time

February 12, 2013, 2:05PM

I hear ya Mel, love a Devon sandwich. In keeping with the fish finger sandwich there is the Sausage roll on a roll (thanks Paulie...You can use old school sausage rolls or seek out gourmet sausage rolls.The other is the meat pie sandwich. You need thick white fresh bread, lashing of butter and a rats's coffin (pie) that's been allowed to cool for about 5 mins.. Spread tomato sauce on each slice and lay the pie in between the bread. Slowly push down until you feel the pie split. Satisfaction guaranteed.